Nicki Swift Asks: Which Celebrity Custody Battle Was The Messiest?

Celebrity divorces are often messy, but when their kids are involved it adds another layer of drama. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been all over the news since she filed for divorce in September 2016, per ET. For years they have been battling it out over custody of their children, with the judge finally granting Jolie and Pitt joint custody in 2021. Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's relationship also crashed and burned just two years after they got married, per Us Weekly. Spears and Federline were granted joint custody of their two children, but he later received sole custody after Spears was placed on a psychiatric hold in 2008. Since then, they have fought over child support payments and Spears' relationship with her sons has become strained over the years.

Now, the latest Hollywood split everyone is talking about is Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis. The formerly engaged stars share their son Otis Alexander and daughter Daisy Josephine, per People. Following Wilde and Jason's breakup, they have been fighting over the custody of their children. As of now, Sudeikis was denied his request to raise their kids in New York City, but it appears as if the case is not over yet. With so many drama-filled celebrity custody battles — some of which are still waging on — Nicki Swift polled readers to find out which they thought was the messiest of all.

It's no surprise that Nicki Swift readers chose Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's years-long custody battle as the messiest in Hollywood. Over 43% of the 589 voters thought that the former golden couple's drama involving their children was way over-the-top. Amid their current lawsuit against each other over their previously shared property Château Miraval, allegations of child abuse have come to light against Pitt, whose camp has accused Jolie of fabricating details, per Us Weekly.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's custody battle was believed to be the second messiest, with a 23.77% vote. Spears and Federline have been very public about her estranged relationship with their sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, with the two often pointing fingers at each other. Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' fight over their kids received 12.73% of votes, most likely because the "Don't Worry Darling" director famously got served custody papers on stage at CinemaCon.

Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy's custody battle over their daughter Bryn got 9% of votes. After years of the couple duking it out, Frankel's rep said she was "awarded full legal custody of Bryn" and "no longer required to pay direct child support," per People. Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry received 5.94% of votes, while Future and Ciara got 4.92%. Thankfully, these last three legal battles have been resolved and hopefully, Jolie and Pitt can figure it out for the sake of their children.